Il vero omaggio
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Il vero omaggio |
Title page of the libretto from 1754 |
|
| Shape: | Componimento drammatico |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Giuseppe Bonno |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | March 12, 1743 |
| Place of premiere: | Palace garden of Schönbrunn Palace |
| people | |
|
|
Il vero omaggio (German: "The true adoration" or "The true gift") is a libretto for a componimento drammatico in one act by Pietro Metastasio . It was performed for the first time in the setting by Giuseppe Bonno on March 12, 1743 in the palace garden of Schönbrunn Palace on the birthday of Archduke Joseph .
action
Dafne is working on a document, lost in thought. Eurilla comes into the room. When she sees Dafne sitting there so devotedly, she thinks she is writing a letter to her lover Tirsi instead of worrying about the due birthday of the heir to the throne. Dafne feels disturbed by Eurilla and refuses to speak. Eurille therefore believes that one cannot talk sensibly with lovers (aria “Ragion chi pretende”). She advises Dafne to forget about Tirsi. Dafne is amazed at this remark. In fact, she had not thought of Tirsi, but rather worked on a poem in praise of Archduke Joseph. She was mentally in Parnassus and was therefore unable to listen to Eurilla. Eurilla did not expect that. She had thought that the inexperienced Dafne would shrink from presenting her verses to the princes. Dafne sees no reason for this. Great minds not only had reason ("ragion"), but also generosity ("grandeza") and goodness ("clemenza"). In her aria “Al mar va un picciol rio” she compares her ambitions with a small river that is not afraid of flowing into the sea. She then explains her poem to Eurilla, in which she wants to glorify the union of Maria Theresa and Franz von Lorraine (the parents of Archduke Joseph). Eurilla takes over the image of the sea and warns Dafne of the dangers of it.
Dafne is ready to take back her ambitions. She suggests not praising the father of the child, Franz von Lothringen, and merely celebrating the “imperial mother” (“genitrice augusta”). But that too is problematic because the Empress does not like flattery, even if it only contains the truth. Now Dafne wants to limit her poem to a praise of the virtues of the young crown prince. Eurille points out, however, that he will also refuse her compliments because he was well brought up by his mother. Finally, Dafne admits to being frightened by her frivolous plan ("Già tremando il cor mi va"). She no longer knows how to behave. Eurilla, however, knows the answer: she should offer a heart full of loyalty and admiration (“Un cor ripieno di fedeltà, di riverenza”).
layout
In the years 1740 to 1750 Metastasio wrote only two opera libretti ( Ipermestra and Antigono ) and no oratorios at all. The serenatas usually have a reduced cast of only two roles, which were performed by members of the imperial family in a private setting. In addition to financial restrictions after the past wars, one of the main reasons for this is probably the changed taste of Maria Theresa's court . Similar tendencies towards a more intimate, sensitive literary style can be seen across Europe at this time. B. in novels by Samuel Richardson or Jean-Jacques Rousseau .
In Il vero omaggio , Metastasio developed a theme presented eight years earlier in Le cinesi . Two nymphs (Dafne and Eurilla) discuss the dangers of courtly poetry and how they can best convey their congratulations to the imperial family and the young archduke. In a letter to his brother Leopoldo, Metastasio described the work as a “little joke” (“piccolo scherzo”). At the same time it is a subtle example of courtly poetry, the language of which expresses more than the content. The psychological characterization of the two nymphs is essential. The active role is assigned to the more responsible Eurilla. The fact that a nymph (Dafne) takes over his function as author makes it possible for Metastasio to pay homage to the imperial family with humorous allusions. The characters appear livelier and more realistic than the allegories of the previous works.
In Dafne's description of her poem, Metastasio pokes fun at the works of his predecessors and also some of his own serenatas such as La contesa de 'numi . His art as a courtly poet is to make the praise acceptable. It is not intended to act like an empty flattery, but rather to attract attention in an unexpected way. Although paying homage seems impossible, he succeeds in indirectly praising Franz von Lothringen, Maria Theresa and the Crown Prince Joseph.
Settings
The following composers set this libretto to music:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1743 | Giuseppe Bonno | March 12, 1743, palace garden of Schönbrunn Palace | Vienna | “Componimento drammatico” on the birthday of Archduke Joseph ; possibly in a different version as early as July 26, 1739 on the name day of Archduchess Maria Anna ; also in 1754 in Hof Palace |
| 1761 | Johann Wilhelm Hertel | September 8, 1761 | Neustrelitz | “Shepherd's game” for the wedding of Princess Sophie Charlotte with the British King George III. ; also in 1774 in the Hochfürstliches Theater in Schwerin ; the sinfonia achieved unexpected popularity |
| 1783 | Anton, King of Saxony | 1783 |
Recordings and performances in recent times
-
Johann Wilhelm Hertel :
- August 19, 2011: Performance in Ludwigsburg.
literature
- Jacques Joly: Les fêtes théâtrales de Métastase à la cour de Vienne, 1731–1767. Pu Blaise Pascal, 1978, ISBN 978-2845160194 , p. 248 ff. ( Online at Google Books)
Web links
Digital copies
- ^ Pietro Metastasio: Opere del signor abate Pietro Metastasio, Tomo Secondo , Hérissant, Paris 1780 as a digitized version on Google Books .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the Serenata by Giuseppe Bonno, Vienna 1754 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Don Neville: Metastasio [Trapassi], Pietro (Antonio Domenico Bonaventura). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Metastasio, Pietro in Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart , p. 50861 ff (cf. MGG vol. 9, p. 229 ff.) Bärenreiter-Verlag 1986 ( digital library volume 60).
- ↑ a b Il vero omaggio (Giuseppe Bonno) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on March 23, 2015.
- ↑ Joly p. 242 f
- ↑ Joly p. 248
- ↑ Joly p. 251
- ↑ July p. 252
- ^ Elisabeth Fritz-Hilscher: Virtù and Bellezza - Il vero omaggio? Cantatas of homage to Maria Theresa and Maria Anna. In: Julia Bungardt, Maria Helfgott, Eike Rathgeber and Nikolaus Urbanek (eds.): Viennese music history. Approaches - Analyzes - Outlooks. Festschrift for Hartmut Krones. Vienna, Cologne, Weimar 2009, p. 139 ( online at Google Books).
- ^ Sister Romana Hertel: Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727-1789): A 250th Birthday Tribute on symposium.music.org , accessed on March 23, 2015.
- ^ Il vero omaggio (Johann Wilhelm Hertel) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed March 23, 2015.
- ↑ Press release of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Festival of June 8, 2011 (PDF) ( Memento of April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 23, 2013.